Gary Player at the Masters: Give it up, old-timer

The Black Knight should go gentle into that good night.

Gary Player is making his 50th appearance at the Masters this week, and swears he’ll be back next year, just to break Arnold Palmer’s record.

I’ve always liked the way the Masters lets the old champions play, within reason. Player is 71 years old now and doesn’t stand a chance in hell of winning and only a slightly lesser chance of making the cut.

I hate it when athletes hang on just to set records. It cheapens whatever record they’re going after.

Palmer himself probably made a few appearances in Augusta he shouldn’t have, well after his prime. The Masters people made some subtle hints a few years ago that past champions shouldn’t hang on just for the nostalgia.

What Player is doing isn’t driven by nostalgia, though there is certainly that, too. He’s doing it just to get his name in the record books.

There are ways to resolve the issue without making a public spectacle. Player is 71 years old. Tell him the tournament was last week. Or tell him he already holds the record. Tell him his name is really Arnold Palmer. Get a fake doctor to tell him he has a broken hip; everybody over 70 has a broken hip.

Mr. Player is in better shape mentally and physically at 71 than you'll probably ever be so try to find something better to do with your time than whine about a living legend setting a record. We are all entitled to our opinions but some of us are smart enough not to write out our dumb opinions for the world to read.

Player has been dogged by accusations of cheating through a great deal of his career.

He was accused of dropping a ball in the rough on the 71st hole of the British Open in 1974. Player denies the charge, and somewhat oddly, blames the accusations on the fact he had a black caddie at the time.

Tom Watson also accused him of cheating in the first Skins Game. Player also has a weird excuse for that one, saying that Watson waited too late to make his accusation known.

Incidentally, Player said he would never play at Augusta past the age of 70.

So, to recap: Is Player a cheat and a liar?

Or are these accusations false, and his promise of not playing at Augusta after age 70 simply forgotten?

There have been times when I have thought the "old timers" should stop showing up at Augusta, but that does not apply to the "Legends" of which Gary Player is certainly one. With the lack of good scoring at Augusta this year (few birdies and almost no eagles) the course was somewhat quite, few famous "Augusta Roars". But on both Thursday and Friday, Gary Player gave the patrons something to cheer about, he was exciting to watch and the ovations he receives as he plays the course speak for themselves .. he belongs.

With Player it is all about EGO...EGO...EGO! He has always been a self promoting chauvinist. He is in the same league as Jack Nicklaus...promoting golf only for the rich. It is rocking chair time for the "legend." Goodbye and good riddance.

You must feel like an idiot now that you've seen the wonderful press he received and how much the fans enjoyed him. Not to mention, his 77 that he posted under those conditions during round 2 wasn't too shabby. So he didn't make the cut, but he certainly didn't embarass himself... people go to the masters to see legends like him play, and as a 3-time winner, he deserves it in my opinion. As fit as he is man, let him keep going to show young people what they can accomplish.

Tim McDonald blogs about his travels to golf hotspots such as Florida, Myrtle Beach, Pinehurst, Hilton Head and the Gulf Coast (including his search for great barbecue joints along the way). He also follows Tiger Woods' path through PGA history.

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